Bo 
help of fome potters earth diffolved in the 
water. On the thirteenth of the fame month 
I opened one of thefe Snails, when I found 
nine living Snails in its uterus, each inclofed 
in ifs proper membrane ; though the humour 
of the amnion was almoft confumed, which 
i looked upon asa certain fign, that their birth 
was near at hand. The larger of thefe fcetus’s 
were placed foremoft in the uterus, and the 
iefs next in order. When I had afterwards cut 
them out of the uterus, and put them into 
frefh water, I found they lived to the eight- 
eenth of March, moving themfelves, and 
{wimming like Snails more grown; nay, their 
manner of {wimming was much more beauti- 
ful; but as I then had other matters to attend, 
i poured them and the water out together, 
nor have I fince obferved any thing further in 
them. The largeft of thefe Snails were fome- 
what lefs than thofe that are reprefented in 
Tab. IX. fig. rx. and the reft were {till lefs in 
proportions 
On the twenty-firft of March I opened 
another Snail of that kind, in which I found 
forty-four larger, and fome very {mall foetus’s, 
each inclofed in its membrane, and placed in 
a regular order in the uterus: fome days after 
this I diffected three others, in one of which 
T reckoned fixty-five Snails, in the fecond fix- 
ty-feven, and in the laft feventy-four, the 
{malleft of thefe young Snails were not bigger 
than the point of a little needle, When I 
afterwards viewed them in a dark place by 
candle light, I obferved that they fwiftly and 
very beautifully moved and twifted themfelves 
round in the humour or liquor of the am- 
nion. But I found no eggs in the uterus of 
thefe laft ; hence I learned that thefe fcetus’s 
were arrived to their full perfection, and af- 
terwards only increafed, that they might in 
fome months after be in a condition to be 
brought forth by degrees, and by this means 
give way to new eggs to be again received into 
the uterus at that time. 
Wherefore at whatever time of the year, 
you open thefe Snails, you will always find 
them pregnant, either with eggs or living 
Snails, or with both together. 
On the twenty third of March I obferved 
Of that fpecies of the Sea Snail, 
W Dise) many fpecies of fhell-fith, of the 
Snail kind, are found in Holland, I do 
not know that any of them are eat, except 
only this fea kind, which is of the genus of the 
Turbo, and is called Aliekruyk ; nor do we eat 
them at all times of the year, but only between 
Eafter and Pentecoft, and afew daysafter. At 
this feafon, hogfheads of thefe Snails are carried 
into cities, and, being firft boiled with water 
and falt, are fold out by meafure. Seafaring 
perfons in particular, and thofe who defire to 
provoke thirft by falt meat, eat thefe Snails, 
The BOOK of NATUR EB or, 
that fome of thefé Snails, which I Kept in a 
larger veffel filled. with water, had brought 
forth feveral young Snails of equal fize or 
bignefs. In fome days afterwards I again 
faw that othér young’ones were brought forth; 
fo that by this means, and {undry obfervations, 
I learned by very certain experiments, that 
thefe Snails continually bring forth through- 
out the whole year. When in the month of 
June I opened fome of thofe that had brought 
forth, I found many rudiments of eggs in 
them, and fome eggs of the fecond degree, 
which were already fo perfect, that the fcetus 
might be difcovered in them; nay further, 
fome eggs were ftill more perfect ; they lay in 
the uterus, and the young of them were to 
be produced foon. 
In the month of June almoft all my Snails 
died, becaufe I neglected to give them freth 
water, and therefore in order to preferve them 
for fome time, I put them into {pirit of wine 
among others which had perifhed fome weeks 
before, I afterwards fhewed above fixty 
young Snails, in the uterus of one of thefe 
to Dr. Huygens, who, on his return to Paris, 
honoured me with avifit; at which fight he 
was greatly aftonifhed, and highly admired 
the ftupendous and impenetrable fecrets of 
nature, 
On the twenty-fourth of July I weighed 
one of thefe viviparous living Snails that was 
frefh taken, and it weighed five drachms ; in 
its uterus I found many eggs, in moft of which 
was to be feen a moveable whitifh {pot or 
point, but in’the reft of them Snails of a larger 
fize were obferved, fo that all the larger Snails 
were then already hatched. ‘Then I began to 
clear the fhell of this Snail of its dirty cruft, 
and I found the periofteum underneath un- 
hurt. Its colour was then yellow mixed with 
green, and it was variegated with light red 
furrows and ridges; when the periofteum was 
pulled off, the fhell appeared white, and the 
ribs or ridges appeared of a purplith red, I 
have delineated a fhell of this kind in its na- 
tural bignefs, in Tab. IX. fig. x1, where 
the ftruture, windings, fibres, ee eae 
of the pillar may be clearly and diftinétly feen 
in ‘5 it. 
called by the Hollanders Alickruyk. 
taking them out of the fhell witha needle or 
little pin, and then they drink a Jarge draught. 
For my part I do not like the tafteof them ; nay, 
they feem to me to affect the palate with too 
much faltnefs, and a kind of rank flavour. 
The liver is the moft favoury of all their parts; 
in the reft they eat hard and tough, and are 
therefore ufed, as I have faid, rather for whet- 
ting the thirft, than as food. Their entrails 
alfo are fo full of dirt and fand, that they crath 
between the teeth. 
Thefe 
